B008DSVE7O EBOK Page 15

  I ran fast all the way home, not caring who might see me. What were they going to do about it anyway? How many people reported UFOs without anyone ever believing them? When I arrived at the house, I was happy to find that Benjamin was the only one there. After regaling him with the night’s events, I stressed to him that it didn’t seem like the demons were following their king’s orders anymore. I perceived they’d be happy to stay in the land of the living… indefinitely.

  “You should have seen them. They were dressed to kill,” I said, laughing to myself at my unintended pun. “Literally! They want to be here Benjamin. I don’t like it. I mean, they are e-ve-ry-where.” I enunciated each syllable separately in order to stress my point. “Nobody is safe in the city. I mean, look what happened to Sean.”

  “Yes, about that. I didn’t think of it until later, but you probably shouldn’t go out alone like that. I know you are capable of defending yourself, but if just ten of those demons had realized you were a vampire in that bar, they would have gone after you.”

  “I thought about that,” I said, remembering what it was like to be in the middle of the demon crowd.

  “If you think they’re crazy for human souls, just wait until you see them after a taste of vampire blood.”

  “I sincerely hope I never do,” I said.

  It was only three in the morning, so we still had a few hours until the sun rose. I wondered what time I would wake up tomorrow night. For the past two nights, I woke up ten minutes before Benjamin. I was still too scared to leave the room.

  “Have you ever been caught in the sun?” I asked.

  “Yes, the first day after turning into a vampire. I woke up in a pile of dead bodies. I threw them off me and walked all night, trying to find my way back to my village. Just before the sun came up, I made it to a farm. When dawn broke, I collapsed and started baking in the sun. It takes some time, and I’d only been out for maybe five minutes before a man found me and brought me into his home. He thought the blisters were from extreme exposure. It took me several days to recover.”

  “There must have been others as well that were turned into vampires?”

  “Yes, the ones that were outside before the sleep came died from the burns. Eventually we put two and two together.”

  “And what about…” I started to say, but my mouth was suddenly preoccupied with Benjamin’s tongue.

  “Enough talk,” he said, running his hands under the fabric of my shirt. “That was a long time ago.”

  “You’re not mad at Jeremiah for not telling you the truth. Are you?”

  “And I definitely don’t want to talk about Jeremiah,” he said, picking me up in his arms and taking me to his… our room. “You’ve been out running and killing vampires. I think you need a shower.”

  “I don’t smell. Do I smell?”

  “Yes, terribly. We have to take all of your clothes off and make sure we wash every bit of your body just to be sure.”

  “Sounds good to me!” I said, wrapping my legs around his waist.

  Thirteen

  “Maybe I will kill the underworld queen.”

  “She’s not the queen yet,” I pointed out.

  “The princess, then.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. What if you kill her, and then, as a result, all of the vampires die?”

  “I don’t think it works like that, my darling.”

  Benjamin started calling me, darling, and I liked it. A lot. “The movies have led me to believe that if you kill the head vampire, the rest will die.”

  “And since when do you follow what the movies tell you?”

  “Most people in my generation were raised on television.”

  “That is terrible.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I turned out okay. You’re not going to kill the queen.”

  “Princess.”

  “Whatever. You’re not going to kill her.”

  “If you insist, I will not kill her.”

  We had yet to leave the bedroom. I woke up before Benjamin again, only this time it was an hour earlier than he. “Maybe I should leave the room tomorrow, just to see what happens.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  I didn’t say anything else about it, but I planned to do it, despite whatever Benjamin thought. I planned to wait until just before the sun was about to set. That way, Benjamin could come find me in the living room if I lost consciousness. He wouldn’t have to know my plans ahead of time.

  I couldn’t decide what to wear for the night. After finally convincing Benjamin that we could go out dancing, and kill demons if necessary, I was eager to get him out of house. Benjamin, of course, dressed in a nice suit. There was every reason to enjoy the night, even for just a little while. It was always kill this, and blah blah blah, the fate of the world, as we know it…

  “I got you something,” he said, taking an expertly wrapped garment box from the closet.

  “Oh, you didn’t have to,” I said, taking the box from his hands. “But, thank you.”

  “You haven’t even opened it.”

  “Ben, I’ve seen my closet. I’m sure it’s nice,” I said smiling.

  I opened the box painfully slow, enjoying the moment. It wasn’t every day a girl got a gift. Inside, was a beautiful, little, black dress.

  “I owed you one.”

  “Yes, you did. This is much nicer than my old one, though. You didn’t have to.”

  I started to put it back in the box.

  “You’re not going to wear it now?” he asked.

  “Umm, it might get demon guts all over it.”

  “That’s what dry cleaning is for.”

  “Yes, that will go over well. Oh that? That’s just demon mush, Mrs. Dry Clean Lady.”

  “Well, you’re not going to go out on the town in your underwear.”

  “No? I thought it might distract the demons long enough for you to kill them all.”

  “Dress. On.”

  “Alright, alright, bossy man. I’ll put the dress on.”

  The dress fit me like a glove. Beautiful black silk, sleeveless, with a draping neckline. It came up about mid-thigh and it was gorgeous. I felt like a million bucks in the dress, and for all I knew, it cost that much.

  Benjamin was waiting for me in the living room and we were just about ready to go when there was a knock on the door. “Really? Every freaking night!”

  The last person I expected to see on the other side of the door was Natasha, the blonde bombshell vampire, and her creepy, silent friend, Duncan. His hair looked better than mine and that was one way to never get on my good side. Even better? They were followed by a group of human men and women. Four of them to be exact.

  The humans were in full party mode, carrying bottles in their hands and singing the latest top one hundred song. It was a catchy song, but honestly I was hoping to hear it on the dance floor tonight while I bump-and-grinded with my thousand-year-old vampire—not in my house, being sung by these obnoxious strangers.

  “Natasha, what unfortunate timing. We were just leaving.”

  “Well, it’s good that we managed to catch you then,” she said, stretching across the sofa with two of the men she’d brought with her hanging off her arms.

  “You’re still here?” the creepy vampire, Duncan, asked.

  “Aha! He speaks,” I said, narrowing my eyes at Benjamin. I hoped that my angry eyes spoke volumes. Get these jerks out of here!

  “Natasha, why are you here?” Benjamin asked, returning my look, as if to say, the faster we deal with her, the faster she’ll get out of our hair.

  “Why Ben, I just came to see how little Olivia was doing. The last time I saw her, she was reattaching a human’s soul.”

  Benjamin shot me the look of death. Oops! Had I forgotten to tell Benjamin that Natasha saw me do that? I could have sworn I shared that itty-bitty detail with him. Damn! This was exactly why I didn’t like to keep secrets. I could never keep them straight.

  “Se
emed like strenuous work for a newly-made vampire. I wanted to check in and see how she’s doing. And, I brought dinner, as you can see.”

  Duncan, the now not silent vampire, was currently biting into one of the “dinner” guests. This was so gross on so many levels. I had to use every ounce of restraint in my body not to say, “Eeww.” But, something told me that we were treading on very thin ice with Natasha. She obviously had it out for me and her instincts told her that she had something on me.

  Well, she did.

  “Can’t everyone do that soul reattaching thing?” I asked, sitting on the loveseat. Benjamin came over and sat on the armrest. He took my hand in his and played with my hand, clasping and unclasping our fingers as he did sometimes. He was doing it on purpose, and it was not missed by Natasha.

  “No, young one,” Natasha said, pure venom in her voice. “As far as I know, you’re quite the special one, aren’t you?”

  “That is strange, isn’t it, Benjamin?” I asked, my voice full of sugar, but threatening.

  “Please, enjoy our guests before you depart for the evening,” Natasha said, leaning forward and watching for my reaction.

  No way would I feed from a human. Especially not in this bitch’s company.

  “That’s thoughtful of you, Natasha,” Benjamin said. “Olivia, and I thank you.”

  What the what? It just sounded like Benjamin was expecting me to feed from one of these guys. “I’m sorry, I kind of spaced out there for a second. What’s going on?”

  “Natasha’s right,” Benjamin said, his eyes serious. “How can we decline her generosity?”

  Okay, once, when Benjamin and I were talking about nonsense, I confessed to him that if someone’s life were in danger, and I needed to feed from a human, I would do it. And only as a last resort. The fact that he was openly suggesting it now, and from one of these guys, meant we were in one of those situations. Benjamin was most definitely the jealous type; and I knew he didn’t want to have to watch me anymore than I wanted to do it.

  “Of course,” I said, standing up. “Here I go.”

  “And you Benjamin?” Natasha asked.

  “Oh, no thank you. I already ate.”

  Son of a bitch! Why didn’t I get to use that excuse? Were we trying to prove a point?

  I moved over to the larger sofa, the one where Duncan had just finished feeding. Now, however, the woman became sex-crazed and was rubbing herself up and down all over his body. I was seriously going to puke on someone. And if vampires could puke, I planned to barf on Natasha. All over her pretty dress and her stupid, ugly shoes.

  I sat down and one of the men came over to me. It’s like they were trained or more likely, hypnotized. Suddenly, I wondered if I could catch any diseases from drinking their blood. Vampires were pretty indestructible though. I should be okay. The guy was cute enough, but that wasn’t the point. His hair was cut short to his head and he wore the whitest shirt imaginable, and light, khaki pants, just waiting for blood to spill all over him.

  Even the logistics of it escaped me. Usually, I climbed on top of Benjamin when I drank his blood, but I wasn’t exactly sure that’s what I wanted to do in this situation. I guided the man to sit down next to me, and then turned my body in his direction, so that it looked like I was about to kiss him. I brought his head to one side, exposing his neck. I descended my fangs and shot Benjamin one last look. He nodded his head once before I pierced my fangs into the man’s neck.

  He moaned immediately. It was an embarrassingly loud moan, and I wanted to die right there. Really, really, die. I wondered how long I was supposed to drink. Duncan bled his victim, or whatever they call it, for much too long in my opinion. I sucked, letting the man’s iron-rich blood flow into my mouth. Honestly, it tasted good, but it was nothing compared to the jubilation I felt when drinking from Benjamin. My vampire’s blood was like drinking the most expensive, aged whiskey. This, on the other hand, was malt liquor at best.

  Unfortunately, strange man or not, I felt an ache growing in my belly. My vampire instincts were kicking in and the man and his blood were turning me on. Gross! Before I did something I knew I’d regret, like climbing atop this strange man and rocking my hips, I retracted my fangs.

  To my great dismay, the guy was obviously happy. Luckily, I was ultra neat and the sofa was spared any errant drops of blood. I licked my lips and rose from the couch, fixing the hem of my skirt as I walked back over to Benjamin. When Natasha couldn’t see my face, I mouthed the words, “I’m sorry,” to Benjamin. He, in turn, gave me his poker face—a completely blank stare.

  “Well, Natasha, as you know, Olivia and I have plans.”

  “Yes, that’s right. How rude of me.”

  “Thanks for stopping by,” I said, heading quickly for the door and opening it wide. “Oh, and thanks so much for sharing. What a treat. I didn’t know you delivered.”

  Natasha gave me the petty smile plastered on her face and left with Duncan and the blood slaves following close behind. Shutting the door behind them, I felt unclean. Now, I’d never be able to wear my new black dress without thinking of the Natasha incident.

  “Well, number one, she definitely has it in for me. And two, she definitely suspects that I’m drinking your blood. Was that necessary? That better have been worth it because it was, by far, the most disgusting thing I’ve ever had to do. That’s saying something too, because in the seventh grade, I had to dissect a baby pig fetus or something. Thinking back on it now, I guess it wasn’t that bad; but at age thirteen, you can imagine that it was just about the end of the world. Okay, what are you looking at? Eww, do I have that dude’s blood on me?”

  Benjamin crossed the distance between us in incredible speed. He lifted me up and threw me over his shoulder, practically flying us through the house and to his bedroom. In one swift movement, he tore my dress off me and tossed me on the bed.

  “My dress!” I said, watching the pieces of black fabric fall to the floor.

  “Fuck the dress,” he said.

  “Don’t you mean, ‘fuck me’?”

  “Exactly,” he said, removing his suit with preternatural speed. “I’m going to make sure you forget that man.”

  “Oh sweetie,” I said, admiring Benjamin’s perfect bare body. “What man?”

  This was not making love. Benjamin fucked me, claimed me, making sure he erased every bit of the human that dared invade my body with his blood. So, we didn’t end up going out. Oh, well.

  After a couple of hours with Benjamin, I forgot what the blood donor even looked like. He was angry that I was forced to drink the man’s blood and I didn’t blame him. Benjamin could be the tiniest bit possessive, and it couldn’t have been easy for him to watch. When every inch of my body was fully aware of the real man in my life, I convinced myself to join the world. There were things to be done. Rolling out of bed, I dressed in a soft gray, tight-fitting t-shirt and jeans.

  “I take it we’re not going out anymore?” Benjamin asked, still completely naked in the bed.

  “You have guessed correctly. I’ve had way too much excitement for one night. You can go without me if you want. I have an idea, and I need to do a little research. Have you seen my laptop?”

  “It’s in the other room. What research?”

  “I have a far-fetched idea that may help to find the demon lady. I’m going to come up with a few places to investigate, and I think I’ll have Laura come with me tomorrow while I check them out.”

  “Darling?”

  “Yes, love?” I asked, letting him pull me back into the bed. I stretched out on top of his body, propping myself up on my elbows.

  “Don’t get upset.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “I don’t think you should be involving your friend, Laura, in these matters.”

  I rolled off him, but he brought me back quickly.

  “I’ve told you about a million times, Ben. She won’t betray any confidences. She’s like a sister to me.”

  Benjamin br
ushed the hair out of my face, tucking my dark hair behind my ear. “And I’m not saying she will. I just don’t think it’s safe for her.”

  “I’ll keep her safe,” I said.

  “Okay,” he conceded. “Just promise to consider what I’ve said.”

  “I will, but I assure you, there is nothing to worry about,” I said, kissing his lips.

  “Explain the plan.”

  “It’s just a hunch, but this prophesied demon woman—“

  “Not prophesied.”

  “Whatever, this demon heir, needs to make a living, and I imagine it might be difficult for her to hold down a regular job.”

  “What with the ghosts pestering her,” he said, running his fingers through my hair.

  “So, she could probably make a lot of money being the only person who can actually speak to ghosts. You know? Like hold séances and contact your loved ones who have passed on for a nominal fee. She’d be crazy not to use that talent to her own advantage.”

  “Quite a long shot.”

  “I realize that, but I have to do something and it’s worth looking into. Also, I’m pretty good at research, so you should just let me do my thing.”

  Benjamin nodded. “I’m sorry you had to do something unsavory. That Natasha can make our lives difficult if she wants to, and we have a long life ahead of us.”

  I didn’t want Benjamin to know it, but Natasha scared me. If she learned that she could stay awake during the daylight hours just by drinking gallons of Benjamin’s blood, I had no doubt he would become like her own personal blood bank. There was no way I was going to let that happen to him.

  “It’s over now. But I’m not ever doing that again in her presence. I won’t give her the satisfaction.”

  “Fair enough,” he said.

  “Get dressed, you bum!”

  “I will; and then I’ll go out and meet Thomas for the night. I’ll see you when I get back.”

  “I’ll be in the other room, conducting my research.” I kissed him on the lips and left the bedroom.